The Black Diamond Experience

Welcome to the Black Diamond Experience, an organic presentation of inspirational stories, photos and videos from our athletes, employees and partners. The Black Diamond Experience is where we showcase climbing, skiing and hiking adventures from around the world, plus event news, advocacy efforts and product and technology highlights—all in one dynamic smorgasbord of stoke. Enjoy.

Time is the Master

In December 2014, Eric Bissell, Billy Brown, Jose Ramon Zea and Alfredo Zubillaga ventured to Venezuela’s Acopan Tepui, where they found thick jungle, bad rock, good rock and a striking new 20-pitch line up the overhanging north pillar.

Black Diamond Brand Advocate Tyler Wilcutt realized early in his climbing career that the hardware on many routes was not monitored by anyone but the members of the community who used it. And many of those users did not realize their own responsibility. So Tyler took it upon himself to replace old gear, starting the Action Fund.

On April 25, four minutes before noon, Nepal time, the Indian Plate lurched beneath the Eurasian Plate. In a matter of seconds, the southern edge of the latter, bearing Kathmandu and the forested hills and deep valleys around it, was lifted up by nearly a meter.

This season, Black Diamond Ambassadors Angel and Johnny Collinson headed to Kosovo, unsure of what they would find. They were warned to watch out for the Raki, but they learned their lesson too late....

Australian Black Diamond Ambassador Andrea Hah grew up as a gymnast. But after discovering climbing, she has taken her aerobatic strengths to a more vertical sphere. Along with fellow Ambassador Lee Cosey, she embodies a #liveclimbrepeat ethos.

For the last 15 years, South Dakota climber Mike Cronin has worked as a professional firefighter, a job he began because of its flexible schedule, which allows him to climb more than 200 days a year. "Climbing has made me who I am today," he says.

After 20 years of climbing in Indian Creek, Black Diamond Ambassador Chris Schulte finally set out to explore the boulders that had been calling to him for years. And with each new line he climbed, he realized more and more the importance of protecting the delicate ecosystem that allows for such incredible movement.

This season, Black Diamond Ambassador Raphael Slawinski, along with German alpinists Daniel Bartsch and David Göttler, plans to climb a new route on Everest's northeast face in pure alpine style. Follow the story...